The Children's Advocacy Center at Robinson was designed to be a safe, child-friendly environment where children can meet with professionals and tell their tough stories of abuse.
The facility allows for the interview to be videotaped or done while other professionals may be observing. Because of this process, children do not have to tell their story over and over again. We do all we can to make the children and their families as comfortable as possible during the evaluation.
The department works in conjunction with the Portage County Prosecutor's Office, Portage County law enforcement, Portage County Job and Family Services, and many other agencies with the goal of helping these young victims of sexual and physical abuse. We help gather information to assist the prosecution of sexual assault investigation.
The center's goal is to help the child and the families begin the healing process immediately.
The center is located within Robinson Memorial Hospital occupying donated space allotted by the hospital. Its location at the hospital is centered in the county, which can make the facility more readily accessible to our families.
The families already have tough situations to get through; having our center in this location makes it easier than having to travel to Akron.
The center has been open for the past five years. In the last year we have offered the most services ever! With our partnerships we have been able to care for so many more children and their families and do it comprehensively. We have a multi-disciplinary team that follows every sexual assault victim. We treat that child medically, emotionally and legally while always making the safety of the child our priority.
The President of the Board is Stephen Colecchi, President & CEO of Robinson Memorial Hospital. The Board consists of many different members of the community, and supports and promotes the center's services.
We also want to educate Portage County on some of the facts and myths of child abuse. The subject is a difficult one and one many do not want to speak about.
We need to educate our children to tell if something bad is happening to them. These children need to know that they are believed and that they are cared for even after these kinds of events.
Children long to know if they are "okay" after a sexual assault. As adults we need to be aware sexual abuse happens every day in Portage County, and we need to teach our children what to do if they are being abused. We need to learn how to respond if one of our loved ones discloses that they have been victimized.
We know that one in four women have been sexually abused as a child and one in six men. If you look around you now in your home, workplace or the grocery store how many men and women in your immediate proximity were victims of sexual abuse?
The Child Advocacy Center staff is available 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
If you or someone you know is being abused please call the HOT LINE at
(330) 296-2273.
A referral will be scheduled by the healthcare provider, child protection agency, law enforcement agency or the Prosecutor's Office.
